After the violent storms in Slovenia, the rescue measures continue. Hundreds of people had to be relocated because of a dam break, and several places are said to be at risk. Concerns also remain in Austria and Croatia.
In Slovenia, which has been hit by severe flooding for two days, there were new emergencies last evening. In the east of the country, a dam to protect against flooding on the Mur river broke. Around 500 people had to be rushed to safety from the village of Dolnja Bistrica, state television RTV Slovenija reported. Further flooding is also feared in Austria and Croatia.
Another nine towns are at risk because of the dam failure on the Mur, said the commander of civil protection, Srecko Sestan. Attempts are now being made to seal the several meter wide hole in the dam with concrete blocks by helicopter. According to hydrologists, the level of the Mur is rising in its Austrian upper reaches near Graz.
Villages cut off from the outside world
Meanwhile, rescue and clean-up operations continued in other parts of Slovenia. Because of a feared landslide in Crna na Koroskem near the Austrian border, residents in several places on the Meza River were taken to safety as a precaution, the Slovenian news agency STA reported.
Several villages have been cut off from the outside world since Friday. Some of the residents were supplied with drinking water and food by helicopter, while some soldiers tried to reach these places on foot. In the municipality of Ljubno ob Savinji on the Austrian border, landslides tore away four houses. In other places, bridges collapsed, roads and railroad tracks were under water.
Civil protection reported more than 3,700 operations nationwide within 36 hours on Saturday. People were rescued who had taken refuge in trees or house roofs. The government estimates the total damage at more than 500 million euros.
Two-thirds of the country affected
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged help to Slovenia. The damage in the Adriatic country is “heartbreaking,” she tweeted. The EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, consulted with the government in Ljubljana on Saturday. He named the three most important EU funds from which Slovenia can apply for help: the European Civil Protection Mechanism, the European Solidarity Fund and the European Crisis Reserve for Agriculture.
According to Prime Minister Robert Golob, two thirds of the country are affected by the floods. It is the worst damage from a natural disaster in the country for more than three decades. At least four people died. The police checked whether there was a connection between the deaths and the storm.
Tense situation in Austria
Contrary to initial fears, the southern neighboring country of Croatia was initially spared from major flooding in inhabited areas until Saturday evening. However, there was no clear all-clear. Because of the expected tidal wave on the rivers from neighboring Slovenia to the north, the Croatian authorities had taken precautions with dykes made of sandbags and the drainage of river water in places.
The situation remained tense in neighboring Austria to the north. In the southern Austrian states of Carinthia and Styria, further flooding threatened on Saturday after new heavy rains. More than 2,500 firefighters were deployed in each of the federal states, as well as dozens of soldiers. Because motorways and alternative roads were partly closed due to the floods, there were traffic jams on the most important transit routes towards Croatia.